One of the struggles that I have encountered as a connected educator is the constant comparison of what my actual leadership/position entails and what twitter and blog posts make me think it should look like.

Homework is bad! Everyone should do PBL! What do you mean your staff isn’t on Twitter? Who cares about standardized test scores? Never be in your office!

Etc, etc, etc…

When you have conversations about innovation, sometimes the first assumption is that no one else is struggling with the balance of all. the . things. The reality is as a leader, just like our teachers, our role encompasses way more than what the memes tell us it does. In addition to all of the trendy & all of the innovative, we all still have to watch the same blood borne pathogen videos at the beginning of the year. We still have to meet our students academic and personal needs, as well as move our teachers along their own professional growth path. Oh, and be data informed, have crucial conversations, and develop relationships.

The upside is that as a connected educator the odds of you finding ways to meet all those needs is much greater. You make connections to incredible people who show you a little glimpse of that balance. George and I have talked about this a lot, and he references Yong Zhao’s quote that basic academic expectations should be the floor, not the ceiling.

Here’s the thing..you CAN do both. You can create a culture that allows your teachers to take risks. Your students can collaborate  and create, and be successful within standardized measures.  Technology allows you to combine personalized learning opportunities, while maintaining high academic expectations. It requires an innovative mindset and a willing to go beyond your basic curriculum guide, but it can be done. 

Last year we piloted ipads in each classroom for our district. As a campus that hadn’t historically chosen to spend their  funds in that manner, there was a huge learning curve. I was very clear that I wasn’t going to mandate a level of use, just that our expectation was to find a way they could be integrated within our core content areas, seamlessly. They could crawl or they could run, they  just couldn’t stand still. We had scaffolded trainings each month, we allowed students to teach us, and we shared our successes and failures, publically. The lessons we learned and risks that were taken were organic. If I had mandated a minimum expectation of use, that’s exactly what I would have gotten. By giving them the freedom to try and to fail, there were huge gains seen across the campus. Even my most resistent, my most hesitant, was emboldened to TRY. Just last week,  one of my rockstars had her students create a guide BY students, for students and parents detailing what the STAAR expository expectations look like. Another veteran teacher? Created flipped lessons using seesaw to help parents  understand how her 2nd graders were learning about fractions. If you as the administrator set the tone and allow the risks, they will happen. 

Don’t be confused by what you think you HAVE to do…get excited about all that you CAN do.

Allowingly,

Amber 
PS: Can we discuss the awesomeness that is our 2017? I am on a road trip, in a loud and crazy snack filled car…and can still share these thoughts?? Amazing. 

I am a firm believer in that if it isn’t written down, odds are I won’t remember to get to it with fidelity. I’ve written about my goals for several years now (2016, 2015, 2104, 2012) and love being able to reference not only where I was personally but also  professionally. I’m only 9 days late into sharing my goals but have no fear! I am ready!

• Don’t be stressed and think your job is the worst! Focus on all the GREAT things that happen each and every day. In such a place you can’t find any? Let me help you!

Feel free to download and share! I’ll print and simply mark off each day that I complete.

•  Keep reading, but find a balance! Already this year, I’ve reviewed three books, one from Solution Tree that I think is going to be pretty awesome…but I haven’t shared any of them! I want to do a better job of SHARING what I read. Adding in “Book Snaps” is my new literary goal. Writing about each book may be too hard, but sharing really great ideas via Snapchat should make it easier. Matt Arend and I have a fun presentation for #TCEA17 where we’ll be talking about all kinds of fun eduSnapChat things!
• Building relationships. I know it sounds premeditated but I have started keeping a list of EACH and every person that I check in with, send a letter too, or have a personal conversation with. Keeping allows me to see what my natural patterns look like, but also ensure I am not leaving anyone out that matters to me. I’m even planning our family vacation in a way that lets me see a bestie!
• Working ahead…staying ahead of the curve and maintaining that time that allows me to work a month in advance is going great for school stuff…but I need to get there with personal things. Two girls, three teams, and a fireman also deserve that courtesy! I know I’ve talked about my love for my Erin Condren before. I’m still a fan of the regular LifePlanner. I still take ALL my admin notes in this notebook. (Use my link to get yourself $10 bucks off!) And now, I’ve discovered these pens!

They don’t bleed through! Let me say that again…THEY DON’T BLEED through!! That makes me so happy! I have a variety of colors, and know that they are safe to use each day. It’s the little things, ya’ll!

All of these things help me improve my system. Practices help your performance, right? All of these “goals” are designed to help me be better day to day, which will increase my overall happiness/performance. When you focus on the practice instead of the performance, you can enjoy the present moment and improve at the same time.

I challenge you to not think about what you would like to see the year 2017 bring, but actually write it down…then take the steps to integrate it into your systems…make it happen!!

Challenge accepted,

Amber